Third Time's the Charm
by bugger424
Summary: After Warren shoots her, Buffy dies and learns that she has failed at her third chance at life because of her Spike problems. Now she has to go back and fix the past.
1. Dead...Again

"You think you could just do that to me? You think I'd let you get away with that? Think again." Shots rang out.  
  
Buffy had just barely managed to push Xander out of the bullet's deadly path when she felt a white hot pain shooting through her chest. She was briefly aware of blood flowing from a wound before she fell to the ground.  
  
Dimly she heard the Xander's voice. He was shouting, screaming, trying to help her. But she was beyond help now.  
  
She had died enough already. She knew when death was near.  
  
But now who would stop Warren? Who would take care of Dawn? Who would save the world every other week? What would Spike do without her?  
  
Forget that last part.  
  
Maybe a new slayer would be called this time. Maybe they could save themselves. They'd done it before. The Scooby Gang would prevail. They always would.  
  
Buffy just wished she could prevail with them.  
  
Beyond her first realm of consciousness, Buffy knew that she was being carried, being driven away. Probably by an ambulance. Xander was there, too, holding her hand, telling her everything would be okay, that she would be okay.  
  
She wouldn't be okay.  
  
Funny, she never thought she would go this way. Shot by a mere human. Warren, the computer geek! He beat her! Shouldn't it have been a demon? A vampire? A hell god? A noble self-sacrifice for all mankind?  
  
Not a gun. Not a lump of metal that could destroy with the pull of a finger.  
  
Not Warren. Not a normal person, ungifted with superior strength or speed.  
  
Not without a huge, heroic battle.  
  
Not without a fight.  
  
Not in the sun, in her backyard.  
  
Slayers shouldn't die this way…  
  
That was Buffy's last thought before a white light engulfed her. 


	2. A Startling Revelation

Buffy sat up and took in her surroundings. She was in a cavernous room that was all white, except for huge black pillars that reached a ceiling at least fifty feet above her head.  
  
She saw that she was still dressed in the clothes she had chosen that morning, sans the blood. In fact, sans the gunshot wound. Where was she? This wasn't heaven. She had been to heaven, and this was not heaven. So what was it?  
  
"It's the Waiting Room."  
  
Buffy turned at the sound of the strangely familiar voice. Then she saw who had spoken.  
  
"Tara?"  
  
The witch was dressed in a flowing white gown. She had a smile on her face, which seemed to give off a strange glow.  
  
"Hi Buffy."  
  
"What are you doing here? What am I doing here? What the hell's going on?"  
  
"It's a long story."  
  
"Give me the abridged version."  
  
"Okay. When Warren started shooting, one stray bullet found its way into Willow's bedroom. I died too, Buffy."  
  
Buffy was disheartened by this news. Even though she was standing here, talking to Tara, she still grew saddened at the news of her death. "Oh, Tara, I'm so sorry."  
  
Tara just smiled. "Don't be. It was my time to go. This was predetermined a long time ago. I even got made the Keeper of the Waiting Room! That's, like, a big honor."  
  
Buffy smiled back. "Then I'm happy for you." Then she frowned again. "But what's the Waiting Room? And why am I here? And…" The questions were pouring out of her mouth.  
  
Tara stopped the flood. "Don't worry, I'll explain. You see, even though I was supposed to die, you weren't."  
  
"So? It's not like death has ever stopped me before. Somebody'll resurrect me, and I'll be back to the slayage in no time."  
  
Tara shook her head sympathetically. "Not anymore, Buffy. You see, you are in big trouble with the Powers that Be."  
  
Buffy laughed. "So? I've always had problems with authority figures."  
  
"This isn't a joke, Buffy. You failed your destiny."  
  
"Excuse me? My destiny is to save the world. I do that. Quite well thank you. I've stopped the Harvest, the Master, Angel, the Mayor's Ascension…"  
  
Again Tara interrupted. "That's all great, but it wasn't all. You weren't supposed to die today. Because you did, the world is going to end."  
  
No. It wasn't true. It couldn't be true.  
  
"It's true, Buffy. Believe it."  
  
Buffy stared at Tara. "So what, you're reading my mind now?"  
  
Tara shrugged sheepishly. "Comes with the job."  
  
Buffy shook her head angrily. "No! The world won't end. They can just get Faith out of jail. Or call up a new slayer. Or- or do something. I will not take the blame for the world ending."  
  
"No other Slayer could fix this Buffy. It is not your future acts that would have saved everyone. It is your past ones. Your own insecurities and inability to see the truth doomed us all."  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
Tara sighed. "Let's look at something."  
  
She waved her hand at the empty air. Slowly, a vision of color interrupted the whiteness of the wall.  
  
The color began to take shape. There were two figures, dressed in black, laughing as they drenched a town with blood. Buffy watched in horror as the two looted stores, set fire to houses, murdered people and then joyously mutilated their bodies. Who were these monsters? Who could be so cruel as to harm these innocent people so happily? Even vampires kept a lower profile, and they didn't look like demons…  
  
Then the picture zoomed in on their faces. It was Spike and Willow. Kissing, reveling in the blood of the innocent lives taken by their hands. Buffy turned away in disgust.  
  
When she turned back, the picture had disappeared, replaced by Tara's kind face. "I'm sorry you had to see that. But you caused it. Your actions caused it."  
  
"What could I possibly have done? Why am I the cause of that?" Buffy waved her hand frantically at where the image had been.  
  
Tara sighed. "You're not going to like what I have to say. But it needs to be said. Ultimately, because you denied Spike's love, and refused to see your own love for him, you have destroyed everything."  
  
Buffy was crying by this time. At those words, they turned into tears of anger. "Okay, I must of made a wrong turn getting to the spiritual plane or something, because this is most definitely hell."  
  
Tara shook her head. "It's true. You're interaction with Spike changed everything. If you had admitted that you loved him, if you had accepted his love from the start, you wouldn't have been distracted all the time. You would have found Warren earlier, turning him over to the police. You would have been more help to your friends, and Willow would not have fallen back into magic.  
  
You have chased Spike away from you. Currently, he is on his way to Africa, where the chip will be removed. Willow, upon my death, fell into more dark magic than she was ever in before. Together, they will join into a force more powerful than this world has ever seen. All this will occur because of your denial."  
  
Buffy couldn't believe it. The world ended because she didn't tell Spike she loved him? Her denial ended the world. But she didn't love Spike. She felt something for him, sure, but it wasn't love, not love…  
  
"It is love, Buffy. Stop denying it."  
  
"Stop reading my thoughts."  
  
"I can't."  
  
Buffy thought of something, a question she most certainly did not want to ask. "Tara- Tara, did I cause your death too?"  
  
Tara shook her head. "I would have died today, one way or another. It was just my time."  
  
Buffy sighed with relief. At least she hadn't caused that.  
  
"So, why are you telling me this? I can't do anything now. The world will suffer because of me, because of my actions, and I'm a little to dead to do anything about it."  
  
Tara looked at her. "The Powers are desperate. The world cannot end. You are needed. And so, you get another chance-a fourth one, to be exact. You have to go back in time, Buffy. You have to love Spike- and save the world while you're at it."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Faults are thick where love is thin." English Proverb 


	3. Reluctant Acceptance

Buffy shook her head in disbelief. "No way! That is not fair! I have to force myself to love him? I have to make myself feel something? No. No way. Not gonna happen."  
  
"You misunderstand me," Tara countered. "You don't have to make yourself feel anything. The love is already there. You do already love Spike. You just haven't accepted that fact. But you must, Buffy. You must."  
  
Buffy shot Tara a Slayer glare that had sent master vampires screaming, but had no effect whatsoever on the young witch. "If you are saying that the world depends on me loving Spike, then you might as well say your last goodbyes to it." She set off running, running from Tara, running from her words, running from the possibility of truth in those words.  
  
Suddenly, Tara appeared in front of Buffy, effectively blocking her path. She started speaking softly, appealing to Buffy. "Think about it. After you were resurrected, didn't you spend an awful lot of time hanging around with Spike? Even before you kissed him the first time? Didn't you feel like he was the only one who didn't put pressure on you to hurry up and become Super Buffy? Didn't you have some fun with him, like when you went to play kitty poker?"  
  
Buffy's lips curled into a half smile at the memory. "Buffy, you have been falling in love with Spike for a while now. You tried to pass it off as only physical, but was it really? Are you really the type of person who would use someone in that way?"  
  
She was weakening. Her resolve was crumbling just as easily as the walls of the abandoned house did the first time she was with Spike. But her natural instinct was to react, to deny, and so deny she did.  
  
"Maybe he's better than he was before, sure. But he is still evil. And soulless. If he could get the chip out, he would be killing everyone he could, including me. He tried to RAPE me, did you know that?"  
  
Tara could not believe the barriers the woman in front of her had built to safeguard her feelings. "Buffy, if I remember correctly, Spike could kill you if he wanted to. The chip would allow him that. But has he? No.  
  
And yes, he may have tried to rape you. That was wrong. No one ever said he was perfect. No one is perfect. But again, he was trying to make you see your true feelings. Not the best way to do it, obviously, and certainly inexcusable, but he was trying to make you see. You are his light, Buffy. You keep him on the right path, not the chip. You took his light away. He was just trying to get it back. Can't you forgive him for it?"  
  
Buffy knew the answer. She already had. But dissent still crept in her brain.  
  
"He wouldn't be accepted. Did you see the reactions all my friends had when they found out we've been sleeping together? What would they do if I said I loved him? They'd put me into a mental hospital for real."  
  
"Are they the ones who matter? No. The only ones that matter in your relationship with Spike are you and he. No one else can dictate or influence your feelings for you."  
  
She was starting to see the truth in the soft-spoken words. She wasn't totally buying the whole love-Spike-and-save-the-world part, but maybe -just *maybe* - she might love him. "Okay. So maybe I buy this. Just what am I supposed to do about it if I'm *dead*?"  
  
Tara smiled, relieved that Buffy was starting to weaken. "I will send you back in time to the morning after you and Spike first slept together. You must take it from there, changing your actions, discovering your love that's already there* for Spike. You will remember everything that happened in the previous timeline, but if you choose the right path, then all the bad things will not repeat themselves."  
  
Buffy looked at her. "Except for your death."  
  
Tara just sighed. "You win some, you lose some. I've accepted my fate. Have you?"  
  
Deep breaths, Buff, deep breaths. "Yes."  
  
Tara smiled. "See you in the past." She waved her hand at Buffy.  
  
Suddenly, she was thrown into a dizzying array of color, swirling past her, around her, through her. Buffy felt the contents of her stomach rising up in her throat, threatening to come up.  
  
Buffy sat up quickly, taking in her surroundings. She was lying on the floor amid broken wooden beams. She realized with mild surprise that she was sans clothing. Oh, well, she thought. Might as well ask.  
  
"When did the house fall down?"  
  
  
  
|. if you love somebody, tell them. | |Rod McKuen | 


	4. Idiot of the Day Award

"I don't know," Spike replied. Must have been sometime between the first time, and the, uh." he trailed off, leaving the thought unfinished.  
  
Oh, God, Buffy thought. I can't go through this again. I can't do this. I can't just tell Spike I love him. Do I love him? I'm supposed to, I know. Maybe I do. But I can't tell him! I can't.  
  
Spike interrupted her internal debate. "So, you wanna pick up where we left off, pet? I think it was right about here."  
  
Buffy sprang up at the intimate brush of his fingers. "Ah, no. No. I-I forgot. About Dawn. She's home. Alone. I left her there all night. Oh God, I gotta go." She rushed around the debris, picking stray garments from odd places. She had to jump about three feet to reach her shirt. How did it get over that beam? She didn't want to know.  
  
"So, is this the part where you make some long-winded, self-righteous hero speech about how this was all a mistake and it will never happen again, then you go walking away leaving me in your dust?" Spike's voice was hard and sarcastic, but there was an undercurrent of hurt in his words.  
  
Buffy, almost fully clothed, was trying to maneuver herself into her shoes. "Uh, yes. I mean no. I mean.Dawn. At home. Me going. Now." Finished dressing and with her unintelligible blather, Buffy did what she was best at when it came to personal problems. She ran away.  
  
She started talking to herself on the power walk home, ignoring the stares by the occasional passersby.  
  
"That was okay. Not good, not great, but it was okay. He didn't say anything about fucking a slayer, or whipping boys, or dirt, or anything. Only in my life would that be a step in the right direction. Anyway, I gave him hope. I think. I might have. God damn it!" She stopped her inner monologue the rest of the way home.  
  
She bumped into Tara on the way in the front door, but barely glanced at her. She headed straight into the kitchen. Straight into Dawn.  
  
"Buffy! Where were you, are you okay?" Dawn took in the bruises and limp her sister had arrived with.  
  
"I'm fine."  
  
"No you're not, you're all sore and limpy."  
  
"I had a fight. You know, the all-nighter kind."  
  
The all-nighter kind? Good one, Buff. And the Idiot of the Day Award goes to.  
  
Buffy didn't feel like listening to the adolescent's questions. "Uh, Dawnie, I didn't get any sleep last night. I'm just gonna hop onto bed."  
  
Willow spoke up. "Buffy, are you sure you're okay? That limp doesn't look so good. I know a spell that would totally fix it."  
  
"NO!" Everybody in the kitchen jumped back at the vehement reply. Buffy tried to calm herself down. "No, Will. Honestly, I think you're getting too much into the magic. You can't use spells to fix everyday problems. And. you shouldn't use magic suppliers earlier. I heard about this guy, Rack, who just feeds off your power. It's like drugs. Please, stay away from magic, and stay away from Rack. If you ever come across him." She hoped that sounded plausible.  
  
Amy, who had silently watched the exchange, spoke up. "How do you know about Rack?"  
  
Buffy grimaced. "I'm the slayer. I know a lot about the demons in this town." On that note, Buffy headed to her room. So, she got a chance to redo her life. She had yet to save the world by solving her Spike problems, her sister felt brushed off, her best friend was probably royally pissed at her, her best friend's new witch pal was suspicious, and she had to feel all the bruises from that night over again.  
  
Yes. This reality was shaping up to be so much better. 


	5. Conversations

Amy and Willow walked along the street. Amy was the first to speak. "So, what do you want to do? It'll be hard to top last night."  
  
Willow nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I don't know if I can. I felt so awful today, and I couldn't do any magic; it took me all day to get my powers back. I think we should just take it easy."  
  
Amy's face lit up with a sudden thought. "I have a better idea."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I know this guy.his spells last for days. And the burnout factor is nothing."  
  
Willow raised her eyebrows. "Is this that Rack guy that Buffy was talking about before?"  
  
Amy nodded. "But, she totally didn't know what she was talking about. Rack's place is a little dangerous, yeah, but it's fun. It's a great high. A magic high. You've got a lot of potential, Willow. Don't get scared off by some cryptic warning."  
  
Willow considered this. What Buffy said gave her some unease, but she was responsible, and a good witch. She could handle anything thrown at her.  
  
"Okay. Let's go."  
  
  
  
"AAAAHHHHHH!" Buffy was letting off some steam while she stalked through the cemetery. This whole second chance at life thing was REALLY not working. Willow had run off with Dawn again. Even after she warned her! "I told her Rack was bad, but nooooooo, Willow knew everything. ' I'm Willow, I'm powerful, so I know everything! I'm always right!' That is so typical!" Buffy didn't meet any vampires on her way; they didn't want to meet the slayer in what was obviously a schizo episode.  
  
She reached the door of Spike's crypt, kicking it open without a second thought. "Spike!" she called. "Spike, you here?"  
  
She got no answer, but a walk around gave her one. Spike was asleep. Naked. Asleep and naked. Obviously some things didn't change. Well, she could.  
  
She walked over to the bed and shook the sleeping vampire hard. "Spike!" she yelled. "Wake up!!"  
  
Spike rolled over and started murmuring something unintelligible. Then he slowly opened one eye. " 'Ello, pet," he drawled. "Got another itch in need of scratching, do you?"  
  
Buffy rolled her eyes. "Quit the sucky metaphors. I need your help."  
  
"And let me guess. It involves a quick shag and then a goodbye, am I right."  
  
"Look, I understand it pains you too accept this, but the world does not revolve around you and sex, least of all my world. Dawn's missing. Willow has her, and she's probably high on magic and will get my little sister killed if we don't get a move on NOW."  
  
Spike looked taken aback, and not just a little ashamed. "I'll just get dressed, then."  
  
Buffy turned away which was actually not followed by a snide comment by Spike. A few minutes later, they were prowling the Sunnydale streets in search of evil, which was a normal Tuesday night activity for them.  
  
Silence prevailed for a few minutes. Then Spike said quietly, "You know, Buffy, we have to talk about what happened eventually."  
  
Buffy sighed. Why now? She stopped in the middle of walking and turned to face the vampire. "Look, I need time, okay? Time. You can't expect me to have things all figured in one day. I'm not saying I do have feelings for you, and I'm not saying I don't. I'm saying that I need time to think, and that this is so not what we should be doing when we should be finding Willow and Dawn."  
  
Spike was shocked for a moment. She wasn't denying she had feelings for him! It wasn't the confession of love he'd often imagined, but it was a hell of a lot better than anything he could of hoped for. "Lead on, then, love."  
  
Spike helped Dawn onto her feet. Buffy was amazed at the tender, gentle care that Spike showed. Had he always been like this? Had she ever noticed? Had she even bothered to? Buffy looked over at Willow; the witch was extremely shaken up. Well, she should be, Buffy thought. She had been so stupid, both times, this time with a warning, that it was hard to drum up any sympathy. So, she walked over to Spike and Dawn. "Dawn? You okay?" she asked quietly. Dawn, tears of anger and pain clouding her eyes, didn't answer. So, Buffy addressed Spike. "Can you take her to the hospital? I'll follow in a second. I have to deal with her." She nodded towards the redhead. "Of course." Spike was so- okay sometimes, it freaked her out. When had he gotten so- okay? On an impulse, Buffy reached out and gave Spike a quick kiss on the lips. "Thanks." Dawn managed to look curious through the anger and pain. The touched smile that Spike gave at this small action made Buffy's heart swell with- Nothing. There was no swelling of the heart. None at all.  
  
Well, okay. Maybe a little. 


	6. Amends

"Why did you kiss Spike?"  
  
Of all the questions in the world, that was the one that Buffy did NOT need her sister asking.  
  
"Well, he- he saved you. I was grateful. Isn't that a good enough reason?"  
  
Dawn, who had been idly toying with her heavy cast, looked at Buffy with incredulous eyes. "I may be young, but I'm not stupid. Is there something going on with you and Spike?"  
  
The shrewd look in Dawn's eyes demanded a truthful answer. Buffy sighed; funny, she'd been doing that a lot lately.  
  
"Okay, yes. There is something going on. We, well, we made out a couple of times, and then, last night- I wasn't really fighting a demon."  
  
The younger girl's eyes widened. All anger at getting her arm broken was forgotten. "You're boinking Spike?"  
  
"In a word- yeah."  
  
"Oh my God! This is so great! You love him, don't you? I knew you loved him as much as he loved you! I knew it! I knew it, I knew it! When are you gonna tell everybody? I can't wait to see Xander when he hears it! Finally, you have a cool boyfriend who isn't all Ooh-I'm-so-sexy-when-I- brood or Ooh-I'm-Mr.-Wholesome-America-guy. Yes! This is so cool!"  
  
Apparently the babbling gene was hereditary.  
  
"Look, Dawn, I never said I love Spike. I just said that we spent the night together. My feelings are totally too screwed up right now to make that kind of decision. And I am not telling anyone right now, ESPECIALLY Xander. And you better not tell anyone, little girl, or else."  
  
Dawn rolled her eyes. "Please. I am so totally trustworthy."  
  
"What about the time I was fourteen and snuck out to see my boyfriend? You squealed before I hit the driveway."  
  
"Yes, but, technically, that memory is fake. I didn't really do that."  
  
"Okay, how about last week when you told Anya that I said she talks too much?"  
  
"God, Buff, get a life. Do you have to remember every indiscretion I've ever committed?"  
  
"Oh, you mean like stealing?"  
  
Dawn had a deer caught in headlights expression. "What are you talking about? I- I don't steal."  
  
"Uh-huh. And you just got that demon's talisman by- cleaning the Magic Box. And you don't have a box full of stolen stuff in a box on your desk. I notice these things."  
  
"Are you gonna ground me or something?"  
  
"At least not until morning. Look, I'm sorry I haven't been the greatest sister ever lately. But I'll start making more of an effort, I promise."  
  
Dawn smiled. "Cool. Good night."  
  
Buffy smiled and kissed Dawn on top of her head. "Night."  
  
She got off the bed and walked out the door. Now for the hard part.  
  
Buffy walked into Willow's room. The witch was shivering on the bed, looking cold, wet, and thoroughly disgusted with herself.  
  
As she should be.  
  
Buffy walked over and sat down. "Willow, how could you do this?"  
  
Willow shook her head. "I don't know. I guess it was Rack; he gave me so much power. I couldn't stop it. Oh no, I can't believe I dragged Dawnie into this. Oh, God."  
  
Buffy tried to look less pissed and more understanding. "I understand you have an addiction, Willow. But it has to stop now. You have to give up magic. For good. Otherwise, I'm sorry, but you can't live in my house and endanger my life and the life of my baby sister."  
  
Willow nodded vigorously. "Oh, of course. This is it. No more magic. I'm done."  
  
Buffy managed to curl the corners of her mouth into something resembling a smile. "Good. I'll be here to help you as best I can."  
  
"Buffy, thank you so much. You're a better friend than I deserve."  
  
"No, I'm not." Buffy got up and left the room and walked down the hall into her own room. She went straight to the window, threw it open, and climbed to the ground.  
  
"Okay, Spike, besides the whole Slayer sensing vampires thing, I also have this thing called a nose. It can pick up amazing things. Even the smell of cigarette smoke."  
  
Spike took one more quick puff and then stomped the cigarette out. "Sorry. Just wanted to see if Dawn was alright."  
  
"Yes, she's fine. She only broke her arm. She'll have a cast for about six weeks."  
  
Spike looked relieved. "Good. Good. So I'll be going then. So long, pet."  
  
Buffy watched Spike saunter toward the road; he never walked. "Spike, wait!"  
  
He turned around. "Yes, love?"  
  
Buffy jogged over to where he was standing. "Thank you again. You were a really, really big help. Dawn and I appreciate it." She leaned in and gave him another kiss. This one was less friendly and more like their previous encounters. She left Spike standing there, stunned.  
  
"Well. Hell of a thank you, wasn't it?" 


	7. Confessions and other Anticlimactic Stuf...

Dawn tried to concentrate on her math homework; it was really, really hard. She was sitting at the table at the Magic Box, struggling to keep this huge secret to herself. Spike and Buffy were together! Okay, so Buffy hadn't actually said the magic words yet, but she totally realized how hot Spike was.  
  
That was totally a step in the right direction. She was so proud of her sister for finally wising up and picking a good guy. Now she just had to stop herself from telling anybody.  
  
It was really, really hard.  
  
Xander walked over and sat down next to her. "So, Dawn, what's the word?"  
  
Avoid eye contact. That always makes it easier. "What word? There's no word."  
  
"Come on, Dawnie. You're obviously teetering on the edge of a huge secret. Whose is it? It's Buffy's, right? Come on, we won't tell her you spilled the beans."  
  
No telling! No telling! "Xander, stop acting mental. I don't have a secret."  
  
Xander stood up and started walking away. "Okay. I believe you."  
  
"Buffy's boinking Spike." Smooth. Real smooth.  
  
Xander stopped dead in his tracks. Anya, selling a crystal to a customer, almost stopped counting her money; both were obviously in shock.  
  
"What did you say?"  
  
Oh, well. Too late now. "Buffy and Spike. They're boinking. Screwing. Making love. Banging like a screen door in a hurricane. Taking the pigskin bus to tuna town. Getting down and dirty. Shagging. Having sex."  
  
Xander still looked shocked. "Yes, thank you Dawn, we are all impressed by your knowledge of synonyms. But- Buffy and Spike? Are you sure?"  
  
"Yeah. Buffy told me. Okay, they only did it once, but Buffy will so realize she loves him and they'll get together and it will be so, so cool."  
  
"I can't believe this!" Xander shouted. "How could Buffy do that? With SPIKE?"  
  
"I think Spike is quite hot. He has an excellent body," Anya piped up from behind the counter.  
  
"Thank you for that input, sweetie."  
  
"You're welcome. Oh, and don't worry. You have an excellent body too, Xander."  
  
Dawn was so pissed at herself. Why couldn't she keep secrets? Buffy was gonna slay her pretty soon.  
  
"Xander? Can you just keep this to yourself for a while? I don't want Buffy to, you know, kill me."  
  
Xander was still looking a little thunderstruck, but, to his credit, he nodded. "I'll wait a day for her to tell me. But then, me and Buff will have a little chat."  
  
It was better than nothing. Dawn just had to convince Buffy to tell him. Oh, God, she hated dealing with Buffy in a bad mood.  
  
Buffy stalked into Spike's crypt. Knocking was a formality that she rarely used. Spike was sitting in his chair, watching some kind of late night horror-movie. She walked over and turned it off.  
  
"Bloody hell! What did you do that for? It was just getting' gory!"  
  
"Spike, I need your help."  
  
All traces of irritation disappeared. "What is it, pet?"  
  
"You know those people that were stalking me? The weird time things at college and the Magic Box? And the weird demons at Xander's construction site? I know who did it. And we're gonna go and get them."  
  
She figured, with this whole second chance thing, she might as well take care of Warren, Andrew, and Jonathon right now. Then she could at least breathe easier. For a little while.  
  
"Eh, pet? Who are they? And.how do you know who they are all of a sudden?"  
  
She was irritated enough without having to explain herself. "Stop asking stupid questions. Just follow me." She walked out toward the street, Spike following close behind, still pulling on his duster.  
  
"So, who are these bastards, anyway?" "Warren."  
  
"The guy who made the girl-bots?"  
  
"Jonathon." "The guy who did that spell to make himself all popular?"  
  
"And Andrew."  
  
"The guy who. who the hell is that?"  
  
"Who cares? Let's just get there."  
  
They walked in silence the rest of the way to Warren's house. Buffy didn't really have a plan. She couldn't just go in and kill them or anything. Did they have the invisibility ray by now? She couldn't remember.  
  
When they reached the house, Buffy motioned for Spike to be quiet and follow her. They walked around to the basement windows and peeked in. All three guys were there- but what were they supposed to do? If they had only done something illegal, they could get locked up.  
  
That's when she noticed what they were doing; they were having money fights. With great wads of money. Where did they get it all? They didn't have jobs or anything.  
  
Then she remembered. The day at the bank! When all the money was stolen! The Scoobies hadn't connected the nerds with that one. But it was just the break they needed. Buffy walked back out to the street; Spike followed her. He was looking a little confused; Buffy couldn't blame him.  
  
"What the hell are we supposed to do about them? We can't kill 'em, or even rough 'em up. So- what's the plan?"  
  
"The plan is to call the police and tell them we found the bank robbers. Then they get locked up and that's the end of it!"  
  
Spike just looked at her. "Bit un-Slayer way to fight, isn't it?"  
  
"Who the hell cares, as long as they're gone?"  
  
With that, they walked into town to the nearest phone booth, where Buffy quickly dialed 9-1-1.  
  
"Hi, um- you know, a couple of weeks ago, when the bank was robbed? Well, I found the robbers.Yeah, I'm okay.They didn't see me."  
  
Buffy rattled off the address and hung up. She and Spike sauntered back to the house and watched the action from across the street. In about ten minutes, squad cars started driving up, squealing and flashing. They rushed down to the basement, then rushed back up with the three guys in tow, handcuffed. They looked ready to piss themselves; Buffy took a kind of odd satisfaction in that.  
  
Well, that was it. The guys who had killed her- sort of, anyway. Were locked up. Before they actually did anything to her.  
  
God. How anticlimactic. 


	8. The Magic Box Scene

Author Note: Okay, who here hates writer's block? ((raises hand)) I'm soooo sorry I haven't updated in two months. I'm horrible. Hopefully, you'll love the rest of my story, and forgive me. . . But maybe not. I totally plan on finishing soon though, so stay tuned.  
  
And don't be surprised if there are big time jumps. I'm not gonna go through all those weeks that were on the show again. Okay? On to the story. . .  
  
Buffy strolled into the Magic Box, a big smile on her face. Everyone was there, Willow, Xander, Anya, Dawn- they could all hear about her total triumph with the nerds.  
  
"Hey, guys! I've got some great news!"  
  
Everyone looked up at her. Willow looked mildly curious, like she usually did when someone had news. But why did Dawn look like she was about to win a million bucks? And why did Xander look like he was about to throw up?  
  
Anya just looked bored. "We already know. Dawn told us."  
  
Buffy looked surprised. "Dawn, how did you know?"  
  
Dawn managed to look excited and sheepish at the same time. "I couldn't keep it a secret anymore. I'm sorry. But this is so great! Now everybody knows and we'll have so much fun and. . ."  
  
Willow looked a little confused. "Um, what are you talking about?"  
  
Finally Xander burst out with, "How could you be sleeping with Spike?!?!?"  
  
Now Willow looked shocked. "What?"  
  
Buffy looked equally dazed. "How did you know that? Who told yo- DAWN! THAT WAS A SECRET!"  
  
"What does it matter? You were gonna tell them anyway! I just, kinda, told them first."  
  
"I was not going to tell them that. I was going to say that I caught the ones that robbed the bank a couple of weeks ago and stole the diamond from the museum."  
  
Dawn looked sheepish again, and more than a little scared. "Oops. Sorry."  
  
Willow, still confused piped in, "That's great! Who were they?"  
  
Buffy, glad that momentarily the subject had taken a turn from her sex life, replied, "Oh it was Jonathon,"  
  
"From high school?"  
  
"And Andrew,"  
  
"I really don't know who that is."  
  
"And. . . Warren."  
  
Xander spoke up again. "Hey, I remember him. He made the Buffybot. Remember that? The robot girlfriend that looked exactly like you that Spike made to have sex with?"  
  
Anya was getting a little tired of her fiancé's behavior. "Xander, please shut up and get a life."  
  
"Anya!"  
  
Willow, still confused about the situation, said, "Okay. I'm a little lost. Buffy, are you sleeping with Spike?"  
  
Stay cool Buff. Stay true to your feelings, save the world. Okay. "Yes, I am. And you know what? I'm not lie and say that I'm completely and utterly ashamed. I'm a little embarrassed that my SISTER shared the details of my sex life with you, but I'm not embarrassed that I slept with him."  
  
Xander, once again, had to have his input. "But Buffy, he's a vampire. He's EVIL. He's killed a lot of people in his 200 years."  
  
Buffy turned to Anya. "Anya, how many people did you kill as a vengeance demon?"  
  
"Well, I killed 4,732 directly, and 2,156 indirectly. That's 6,888 altogether. You had to keep a strict record, you know."  
  
Buffy turned back to Xander. "It's perfectly alright for you to sleep with someone who has a shaky past, but not me. That's great logic."  
  
Xander could see he was fighting a losing battle. Still he pursued. "He doesn't have a soul. He doesn't care about all those people."  
  
Anya sighed. She loved Xander, but he could be so thickheaded. "Xander, having a soul doesn't make any of the people I killed any less dead. I feel a little sorry, sure, but I did what it was my nature to do. And let's face it; Spike's probably the best boyfriend Buffy could come up with. Angel brooded all the time, from what I heard. And Riley was a little too- ooky. Who wants a ooky boyfriend?"  
  
"At least Riley was human."  
  
"At least Spike isn't ooky."  
  
Buffy finally got fed up. "Xander, I'm sleeping with Spike, okay? I'm not saying I'm in love with him, but I'm not going to say I'm not. And I don't need your approval be for going into a relationship with someone. Got it?"  
  
Willow smiled. She liked Spike. "Good for you, Buffy. Anya's right- Spike doesn't brood and he isn't all ooky. I think you look cute together."  
  
Dawn, amazed at her sister's sudden backbone when it came to this kind of thing, agreed, "Totally."  
  
Xander remained silent.  
  
Buffy rolled her eyes at him. "Xander, I love you, but God, get a life. Oh, and thanks Anya." She walked out.  
  
Anya turned to her future husband. "You know, of course, there is no sex tonight."  
  
Andrew rested his head on the bars of the tiny cell. They were in jail. They were in jail! Oh God, they were in jail.  
  
Jonathon on the other side of the cell, lamented, "Oh my god. We're in prison. We're inmates. And I'm small. Do you know what happens to the small guys in prison????"  
  
Andrew turned around. "Dude, I'm claustrophobic. I'm so gonna hyperventilate."  
  
Warren just cursed himself for teaming up with such idiots. "Guys, don't sweat it. They've got nothing on us. We'll be back in the basement by tomorrow morning. Guaranteed."  
  
Jonathon stood up. "How do you know, Mr. They'll-Never-Catch-Us? Guess what? They caught us!"  
  
Andrew agreed. "I think they got something on us. Maybe the THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS on the floor will get us. That kind of indicates bank robbery."  
  
Warren just smiled. "True. But we'll still get out. I've got a plan." 


End file.
